London Rain
by No Sweeter Song
Summary: After a long, rainy night of patrolling, all Tonks wants is her warm bed and a pair of arms to wrap protectively around her. Oneshot, RLNT.


**A/N: **I couldn't NOT post something for Mr. Remus John Lupin's...47th birthday. (He's mad at me for telling you all that!) I'm not ready with a 12th chapter of my on-going Saving Me, but here's a little something I wrote for the rtchallenge on livejournal. The quote the story starts with was my prompt, and the story itself is based on the song London Rain by Heather Nova. And yes, the misspelling of microwave is intentional.

The characters you see here are not real. They're not mine. They're fictional people provided by Ms. JK Rowling and lovingly ficced and worshipped by me.

* * *

"_People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." Elisabeth Kubler-Ross_

Seven a.m., bright and early, and most of England was just rising. Tonks, on the other hand, had been up since one o'clock the afternoon before. It had been a terrible night. Raids on three Death Eater suspected homes, two arrests, and one attack on a muggleborn witch's house. All in one overnight patrol.

She stumbled into the flat, heaving a sigh as she did. Shutting the door as quietly as she could, she leaned back against it, the cool wood soothing against her pounding head. Taking in the sight of the small but cozy flat, she gave a small sigh of relief. Everything seemed to be in order. She shrugged out of the rain coat she'd been wearing and shook out her hair. The drizzle she'd been dealing with all night had turned into a steady rain as she'd tried to get in the front door of the flat. It seemed she'd lost her key, and she refused to risk waking Remus with the loud 'crack' of Apparation, so she had had to wait until the doorman had finally let her in.

Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably, but she had no urge to eat any breakfast. It would seem more like dinner by that time, and Tonks was far too exhausted to even think of trying to cook. But a pleasant sight greeted her as she stepped in the kitchen to drop off her things. A large plate of chocolate chip biscuits and a handwritten note. 'There's spaghetti in the refrigerator. Just heat it up.' It amused Tonks how well and how easily Remus had adjusted to Muggle appliances. He seemed to like them better than magic a majority of the time.

Setting the plate into the mikerwave, she pushed the number two and waited. Honestly, Tonks wasn't entirely sure she had the energy to even use a fork at the moment, but perhaps some food would do her good. Besides, her headache powders made her stomach queasy if she hadn't eaten. Grabbing a biscuit from the plate, she nibbled and made a grab for the door of the mikerwave before it could start beeping. She'd done so well at not falling or crashing into anything so far. She didn't need the noise waking her boyfriend.

Boyfriend. The very word made her smile, brushing her still-damp hair out of her face. Though Remus would protest that he was far too old to be anyone's 'boyfriend', that's exactly what he was.

Tonks didn't even sit down to eat. She leaned heavily against the counter, forcing a few good forkfuls of the pasta and two more biscuits into her mouth before giving up and putting the lot into the refrigerator. The rain had begun falling even harder, and as tired as she was, she was glad she was home and her shift was over. Kingsley would have to deal with the impending flood. She had a warm, comfortable bed to get into, and a warm, comfortable side to curl up against.

By the time she made her way into her--their bedroom, Tonks was practically limping. Her muscles ached, her eyes drooped, and her breath came too quickly for her liking. Slipping inside the bedroom, she smiled at the sight in front of her. Sprawled across the bed, as if he were the only one to ever use it, lay Remus. She didn't want to interrupt him. Quietly, she slipped out of her robes, and pulled the light spring jumper over her head. She stepped out of her trousers, as well, leaving her in only a light camisole and her knickers. Too tired to even bother with pyjamas or a nightshirt, she pulled the sheet back, curling into the small space that Remus had left available.

He surprised her, though. His arm tucked around her almost instantly, as she leaned into him. "You're home," Remus said softly, his hand reaching to stroke her nearly dry hair out of her face.

Tonks nodded weakly, nuzzling into the space against his chest as he rolled to his side to give her room. "Long night," she murmured. "Absolute hell. So tired." Complete sentences weren't exactly on her list of things to do just then. All she wanted was some sleep. And him.

As if he knew, he dropped a kiss on her forehead, and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms protectively around her. "Everyone all right, then?" he asked softly. The soothing tones of his voice caused her eyes to flutter closed.

She nodded, exhaling slowly. "Fine. Kingsley got a bump on the head from a door, but he's fine. Should've been watching where he was going. Dumb git." There was a touch of amusement that peered through the exhaustion in her voice. Glancing up, she could see his eyes were twinkling as well. Twinkling and tired. "Didn't you get any sleep?"

"I don't sleep well when I know you're out there," he said quietly, sighing. "Too worried."

It was a sentiment she could understand. "I'm here now, though," she told him, wrapping an arm around his waist, reassuring them both of her presence.

Remus nodded, his chin brushing the top of her hair. "You are. You're safe now." It wasn't always going to be that simple, and they both knew it. But Tonks found solace in his hold on her, feeling protected. Nothing would happen to her if she was there. "Get some sleep," he whispered, kissing her temple.

"You, too," she chided, but she was too drowsy to add any argument to her words. "Love you," she whispered as she closed her eyes again.

Tucking the quilt around them both, Remus only nodded with a small smile. "Love you, too."

The rain pounded on outside. That and Remus' soft breathing were the only sounds Tonks heard as she drifted off into a deep, exhausted sleep.


End file.
